Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together is a nonprofit organization that organizes volunteers to repair and rehabilitate low-income homes. NAWIC #54 is partnering with Turner Construction to take on 3 homes this year! We need as many NAWIC members as possible to pitch in for this worthy cause; one day of volunteering on your part can change people’s lives!

A little about the homeowners this year:

Bonnie is an elderly veteran who has lived in her home for the past 40 years but she and her wife are unable to keep up with maintaining it due to medical limitations. We will be helping her by re-painting some of the upstairs rooms, adding a handrail to the basement steps, replacing electrical outlets, and assisting her with a few other tasks to make her home safer and more comfortable. The storm/sewer drain to Bonnie’s house is clogged, causing basement floods, and sewer and gutter backup – if any NAWIC members have knowledge or resources to assist with this please reach out, otherwise we can request resources from Rebuilding Together. She was really excited to hear about NAWIC and really happy that women in construction would be the ones helping her out!

Jerry is elderly and disabled and lives alone. His home needs several minor repairs and general rehabilitation, but the main issue is the condition of his yard which has been overrun with brush. He is being fined monthly by the city an amount that nearly exceeds his income, and is in danger of losing his home due to the accumulated fines if the condition of his yard and home exterior does not improve. We will be clearing the plants and debris from his yard, cleaning and painting the exterior, replacing his kitchen window, repairing some leaks, repairing the gutter, and

Patti is an elderly, disabled woman who has not been able to keep up with her home since the death of her husband. She reached out to Rebuilding Together to request help painting her house, which is currently in bad shape.

Questions

How long is the work day? We will start at 8 am and should be done by 3:30 pm.

I have other plans that day, can I work a partial day? Yes, but make sure you plan this at least a week beforehand with Joanna. The house captains are going to be meticulously planning manpower and tasks throughout the day and we need to know exactly who is available and when.

Can I sign up to volunteer after April 3? Yes, but you will not get a T-shirt.

Can co-workers/spouses/significant-others/friends participate? Yes! The more the merrier! Just make sure that they are put in touch with Joanna as soon as possible beforehand and no later than so that we know how many people to expect. They must sign up by this upcoming Monday 4/3 to get a T-shirt, but additional volunteers can be accommodated beyond that date.

Can I bring my kid? Only if they are 14 or older and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian (for liability reasons). They must also fill out an additional authorization form. Please contact Joanna if you would like to bring your teenager, so that I can get you this form beforehand.

Where are these homes located? All are located in Northeast Portland (Montavilla and Parkland Heights).

How will the day be structured? The current plan is to have the NAWIC group begin the day with the work at Bonnie’s house. Once this is done we will relocate to Jerry’s house, where we will have lunch. We will spend the rest of the day working at Jerry’s. If you would prefer to paint at Patti’s or to spend the whole day at Jerry’s just let Joanna know so she can coordinate this with the other House Captains.

I have some supplies you might be able to use. That’s awesome but we should be able to get everything needed through the Rebuilding Together organization. But if you’re already thinking this much about how you can help, you should probably just RSVP right now! Once we know who will be there that day, we’ll get email discussion going and be able to discuss more specifics.

Contact Joanna Westrich to find out more information Joanna.Westrich@jedunn.com